Evangelist Accused Of Assaulting 11- Year-Old Girl

(AP) – State police in Bedford said Friday that The Rev. Walter Donald Bradshaw, 61, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Lexington, N.C., and charged with assaulting an 11-yearold girl several years ago. He was being held at the Davidson County jail in lieu of $150,000 bail pending extradition to Pennsylvania. Police said the 51-year-old mother of the victim was taken into custody at the home Thursday and also was being held at the jail.

Police said Bradshaw was a traveling evangelist and met the family at a revival four years ago. They said the alleged assault happened between 2007 and 2008 at the Janey Lynn Motel in Bedford.

The girl’s mother is accused of taking her daughter to the motel room and leaving her there with Bradshaw, Higgins said.

“If she didn’t know what was going on, she should have,’’ Higgins told the Altoona Mirror.

Charges against Bradshaw include rape, rape of a child, and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child. The mother, who was not named by police, faces charges including sexual exploitation of children and endangering the welfare of a child.

A message left at a number listed for Bradshaw was not immediately returned Saturday, and it was unclear whether he had an attorney.